Style and Sustainability
STYLE AND SUSTAINABILITY:
HOW UK HOMES HAVE Our home designs are an identifying aspect of our nation’s culture. Wood panelling, bay windows, and stone bricks are instantly recognisable as a product of British construction when compared to other homes around the world. As we progress through the years, it’s inspiring to see how our homes have also changed with the times – both inside and out.
Victorian: 1837 to 1901 The Victorian era moved us nearer to many of the houses we know today. Bay windows were popularised along with red-coloured brickwork. The centred and s ymmetrical fashion of Georgian homes had also been abandoned, favouring off-centred doors to the left or right of the façade. Geometric tiling also featured heavily in Victorian properties, adding decoration to flooring and walls.
From Tudor panelling to double-glazed windows, home designs throughout history have played a bigger role in our lives and culture than you may think. So, how have we got here? How have housebuilders and homemakers through the years shaped the development of what we call home? Here, with some help from national house builder, St. Modwen Homes, we take a look at the history of British homes and how they’ve changed to fit our culture and needs through the ages.
Georgian: 1714 to 1830 Georgian homes were charac teris t ic all y g ran d . Even on a smaller scale, symmetrical and tall facades matched Greekstyle motifs and spacious interiors. H o w e v e r, you wouldn’t find natural brightness in every room. The window tax, which was based on the number of windows in a house, lasted the duration of the Georgian era. Some homes would brick up window facades to avoid paying an additional levy on their property. Even today, you can see some buildings with bricked up gaps where reglazing has not occurred even 170 years later. Compare that to the new homes of today where large windows are popular to maximise natural sunlight and brighten the space.
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For those living in working-class areas, you would expect the toilet to be in an outhouse. Thankfully, this Victorian trend hasn’t lasted. Modern houses are more likely to feature toilets both downstairs and upstairs. However, bay windows and stylised interiors are still popular today.
Edwardian: 1901 to 1910 Edwardian and early twentieth-century homes build on the architec tural st ylings of the Vic torian period. A return to symmetry, bay windows were boxed, and door ways became ornate and trimmed with white wooden frames.
